Natalya Popovich is a People's Artist of Russia, a RF State Prize winner, a Holder of the First Degree Dyagilev Order, and Head of the Novaya Opera Artistic Board, Chief choirmaster in 1991–2017.
In 1967, when a fourth-year student of the Urals State Conservatory, Natalya Popovich joined the Lunacharsky Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre of Sverdlovsk as a choirmaster. Starting from 1973, she worked there the chief choirmaster together with Evgeny Kolobov who was the theatre’s principal conductor.
In 1981, Yury Temirkanov offered her the post of chief choirmaster of the Kirov Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Leningrad (now Mariinsky Theatre). There she worked with many opera master such as choirmaster Alexander Murin, conductors Yuri Temirkanov, Evgeny Kolobov and Valery Gergiev, director Boris Pokrovsky.
In 1988, Natalia Popovich was appointed chief choirmaster of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Academic Musical Theatre in Moscow, where she worked till 1991.
Together with the outstanding Russian conductor Evgeny Kolobov, Natalya Popovich was one of the founders of the Novaya Opera Theatre in 1991. Since then she has been the leader of the Novaya Opera choir. The choir's repertoire comprises over 20 operatic works of foreign and Russian composers, a capella sacred music, large-scale cantatas and oratorios.
Natalya Popovich as a choirmaster has participated in 15 CD recordings of the Novaya Opera Theatre. She has over 60 Russian and foreign classical operatic and choral compositions in her repertoire.
Productions:
Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin — Chief and stage choirmaster
Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov — Chief and Stage Choirmaster
Verdi's La Traviata — Chief Choirmaster
Verdi's Rigoletto — Chief and Stage Choirmaster
Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride — Chief and Stage Choirmaster
Verdi's Nabucco — Chief and stage choirmaster
Wagner's Lohengrin — Chief Choirmaster
Borodin's Prince Igor — Chief and stage choirmaster
Verdi's Il trovatore — Chief Choirmaster
Puccini's La bohème — Chief and Stage Choirmaster
Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana — Choirmaster
Catalani's La Wally — Choirmaster
Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila — Choirmaster
Donizetti's Maria Stuarda — Choirmaster
Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades — Choirmaster
Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata — Choirmaster
This is Opera! (dramatized performance) — Creator and choirmaster
Bravissimo! (opera mix) — Chief Choirmaster, Created
O Mozart! Mozart… (Requiem) — Chief Choirmaster
Rossini (musical divertissement) — Chief Choirmaster
Viva Verdi! (gala concert) — Idea of the concert, Chief choirmaster
Maria Callas (Musical offering) — Choirmaster
Discography:
Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Eugene Onegin (DVD) — Choirmaster
Rossini (DVD) — Choirmaster
Vincenzo Bellini. Norma (DVD) — Choirmaster
Giuseppe Verdi. Rigoletto (DVD) — Choirmaster
“Bravissimo!” (DVD) — Choirmaster, Created
Giuseppe Verdi. La Forza del Destino (CD) — Choirmaster
Vincenzo Bellini Il Pirata (CD) — Choirmaster
Taneyev's John of Damascus et al. (CD) — Choirmaster
Rossini (CD) — Choirmaster
Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Eugene Onegin (CD) — Choirmaster
Classics through Centuries (CD) — Choirmaster
Giuseppe Verdi. Requiem (CD) — Choirmaster
Pietro Mascagni. Cavalleria Rusticana (CD) — Choirmaster